Witnesses reported the suspect claimed to have a bomb in her backpack and was spraying an unknown substance on the megachurch's ground.
The woman was carrying a rifle and made claims about a bomb during the attack, which left the woman dead and the 5-year-old boy with her hospitalized.A woman shooter opened fire Sunday inside the Houston megachurch of pastor Joel Osteen and made claims about a bomb before she was killed by off-duty officers who were working at the building.
It wasn't immediately clear what may have motivated the unidentified woman to attack the church, according to Houston Police Chief Troy Finner. The shooter was described as a 30-to-35-year-old woman who entered the church at about 12:53 p.m. CT. She was holding a long rifle, wearing a trench coat, and carrying a backpack.
The suspect was accompanied by the child, described as a 4-to-5-year-old boy. It was not immediately clear what relation the child had to the woman.During a press conference, Finner said that the shooting happened around the time the Spanish language church service was scheduled to start.Investigators believe the attack was an isolated incident.
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